Bean There

Cape Town’s first Fairtrade coffee shop

More than 400 billion cups of coffee worldwide are consumed every year. It's difficult to choose the best type. From a moral point of view the Fairtrade market which offers the best coffee. Already a popular coffee spot in Johannesburg, Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce: Bean There!

Bright, modern, lovely. These are the adjectives that came to mind when I stepped into 'Bean There' the first time. The entrance area is decorated with a mixture of lampshades The roaster is in the centre of the café. Next to the cash register are huge, round glasses – each filled with beans from different countries.. Coffee from Ethiopia is the most populare, and that's why Bean There offers three different sorts of Ethiopian beans.My cappuccino’s foam has got a big heart in it. It suits the coffee, considering that being certified Fairtrade means that all partners and farmers are paid a fair fee for their crop.

Beans from Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia

“The coffee is roasted freshly in the store. It's very important to us, that our roasters are well teached.“, says Anya Lotter, operation manager. Bean There is the only Fairtrade coffee shop in South Africa, who roasts the beans on premises.

I ask her who took the beautiful photos, which are all over in the store. Anya tells me, that Jonathan Robinsin, the owner of Bean There shot them on his tours to all the coffee farms.Even the bike on the wall has got its own story to tell: When Jonathan visited one farm, the farmer’s bike broke. He bought him a new one and took the old one as a memory.

Bean There wants to focus on what it's good at: making coffee. That's why the cakes, muffins and cupcakes are made by a baker. You don't pay a lot for what you get, a cup of good cappuccino is just R15.

I like the concept. I like the way it's decorated. I like the coffee. I like Bean There. I really do.